Modular closet system

ABSTRACT

A modular closet system provides reconfigurable closet capacity and an appearance of a customized closet in any of the configurations. The system includes at least two sideframes cooperating to define a space therebetween creating a closet module when assembled. A series of through holes on an inside surface of the sideframes are used to attach a variety of storage devices from the system&#39;s sides, which may be re-positioned by user design. When assembled, any of the fasteners used to attach the storage devices are hidden from a front view perspective of the system. Once assembled, the perimeter of the storage devices cooperates with the frames to block the view of the fasteners. Some embodiments may extend closet capacity by including a hanging rod system that connects two frame modules together via the through hole system on respective closet modules, which when assembled also blocks the view of any fasteners.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of pending U.S. application Ser. No.16/802,299 filed Feb. 26, 2020, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to closets, and more particularly, to amodular closet system.

2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information

Traditional closet systems are static. Conventionally, one had to buy acustom designed closet system that addressed their individual storageneeds. In addition, customized closets were aesthetically pleasing asthe final assembly typically provides a clean finished appearance withattachment points locked into place and hidden from view. For example,screws might be inserted into a counterbore and capped so as to behidden from view. This is a permanent attachment because any attempt toremove the screw likely damages the closet surface. These systems becomefixtures to the surrounding closet room walls. Once items such asshelves, drawers, and rods are set in place, these items are not moved.The walk-in closet design features are fully contemplated before thesystem is assembled and once assembled, remain fixed in place. The endproduct reflects quality in craftmanship and finish.

Freestanding closet systems are typically fully enclosed to provide thesame feel as a closet room. Even freestanding closet systems, onceassembled, are generally fixed and cannot be re-arranged. Freestandingcloset systems are usually mass produced and lack the quality ofcraftsmanship and design aesthetics of a customized or low volumemanufactured piece of furniture. Many closet systems available today aredesigned to be assembled by the customer (in other words, it is soldunassembled). Unassembled furniture and particularly closets aredesigned for convenience in assembly. A series of steps guides one toattach dowels or screws to surfaces of the closet pieces. However, themeasure of convenience for assembling a closet usually comes at thesacrifice of exposing attachment points (for example, screws, pins, etc.which are readily visible). Once locked in, attempts to remove afastener typically further exposes the attachment points, damages thestructure's finish, and compromises the support structure.

As one's storage capacity needs change, static closet systems becomeless efficient and more prone to visibly unaesthetic damage to theattachment points. As storage capacity needs change and wear on thecloset becomes more apparent, whole closet systems need to be replaced.

As can be seen, there is a need to improve on closet systems so they aremore flexible to peoples' changing storage needs yet provide anappearance of a custom closet 10 solution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a modular closet comprises a first sideframe, the firstsideframe including: a first pair of beams positioned parallel to oneanother, at least one of the first pair of beams including a first beamfront face, a first plurality of struts positioned between the firstpair of beams supporting the first pair of beams, a plurality of throughholes on each of the first pair of beams, the plurality of through holespositioned on an inside facing surface of each the first pair of beams;a second sideframe, the second sideframe including: a second pair ofbeams positioned parallel to one another, at least one of the secondpair of beams including a second beam front face, a second plurality ofstruts positioned between the second pair of beams supporting the secondpair of beams, a plurality of through holes on each of the second pairof beams, the plurality of through holes positioned on an inside facingsurface of each of the second pair of beams; a plurality of fastenersconfigured to fit within the plurality of through holes of the firstpair of beams and the plurality through holes in the second pair ofbeams; and any two of at least a shelf, a first sized drawer, a secondsized drawer and a laundry basket configured to fit between the firstsideframe and the second sideframe, wherein the shelf, the first sizeddrawer, the second sized drawer and the laundry basket arerepositionable along a height of the first and second sideframes,defined by a space between the first sideframe and the second sideframe,and secured into place within the space by the plurality of fasteners,when the modular closet is in an assembled state, and wherein, none ofthe plurality of fasteners are visible from a front view perspective ofthe modular closet when in the assembled state.

In another aspect, a modular closet comprises a first closet module,including a first sideframe, including a plurality of through holes, anda second sideframe, including a plurality of through holes, a pluralityof fasteners configured to fit within the plurality of through holes ofthe first sideframe and the plurality of through holes of the secondsideframe, and a plurality of storage devices configured for attachmentbetween the first sideframe and the second sideframe, the attachmentbeing to the plurality of through holes in the first sideframe and inthe second sideframe, wherein: the first sideframe and the secondsideframe are configured for modular positioning and repositioning ofthe plurality of storage devices within the first closet module, and theplurality of fasteners and the plurality of through holes used forattachment of the plurality of storage devices are not visible from afront view perspective of the first closet module when in the assembledstate; a second closet module, including: a third sideframe, including aplurality of through holes, and a fourth sideframe, including aplurality of through holes, the plurality of fasteners configured toalso fit within the plurality of through holes of the third sideframeand the plurality of through holes of the fourth sideframe, and theplurality of storage devices also configured for attachment between thethird sideframe and the fourth sideframe, the attachment being to theplurality of through holes of the third sideframe and to the pluralityof through holes of the fourth sideframe, wherein: the third sideframeand the fourth sideframe are configured for modular positioning andrepositioning of the plurality of storage devices within the secondcloset module, and the plurality of fasteners and the plurality ofthrough holes in the second closet module used for attachment of theplurality of storage devices are not visible from a front viewperspective of the second closet module when in the assembled state; anda hanging rod configured to be secured between the first closet moduleand the second closet module.

In yet another aspect, a modular closet comprises a first closet module;a hanging rod coupled to the first closet module by a first end of thehanging rod; a second closet module coupled to the first closet moduleby a second end of the hanging rod; and a plurality of storage devicesconfigured for modular attachment to attachment points within the firstcloset module and the second closet module, wherein the attachmentpoints of the plurality of storage devices to the first closet moduleand to the second closet module are not visible from a front perspectiveview of the modular closet system when in an assembled state.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an exampleand are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, inwhich like references may indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a modular closet system inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the modular closet system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective top front view of the modular closetsystem of FIG. 1 with top shelves removed.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective left side front view of a closetmodule of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an isolated view of a hanging rod system of FIG. 1 inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5A is an enlarged view of the circle 5A of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the circle 6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a perspective front view of a modular closet system inaccordance with another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the modular closet system of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective front view of a modular closet system inaccordance with another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the modular closet system of FIG. 9.

Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale.

The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understoodby turning to the following detailed description wherein illustratedembodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that theillustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way oflimitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE OFINVENTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofvarious configurations of the subject technology and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology may bepracticed. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitutea part of the detailed description. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof the subject technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilledin the art that the subject technology may be practiced without thesespecific details. Like or similar components are labeled with identicalelement numbers for ease of understanding.

In general, embodiments provide a modular closet system that provides anappearance of a custom-made closet with the aesthetic finish of a customcloset yet may be reconfigured at the user's will and still maintain thecustom-made look. While aspects of the system quickly and convenientlyallow the user to modify their storage needs and adapt the closet asneeded, as will be appreciated, the custom-made appearance and cleanfinish of the closet is maintained during reconfiguration of the closetfeatures. This is the first fully modular closet that allows the user toconfigure a closet to their needs/wants without needing professionalinstallation. Those assembly embodiments of the closet system will beable to hide attachment points/fasteners from view without needing toknow skilled furniture assembly practices for hiding fasteners. Thevarious configurations have front surface of the storage devices flushwith the framing creating a clean appearance form the front viewperspective.

Embodiments incorporate all different types of storage (for example,drawers of different sizes, shelves, hanging rods, fabric bins, laundrybags, etc.). In addition, aspects of the system may be open faced/openbacked providing easy access to switching storage unit types around andfacilitating modularity. In some aspects that will be appreciated, thefront surfaces of the system may be flush. In some aspects, there maynot necessarily be a top, bottom left or right, which may make thesystem easy to assemble and creates full modularity as storage devicesmay be moved from one module/location to another without pre-setengineering designs obstructing insertion in to certain points in theframing. Drawers, shelves, hanging bars, and other closet storagedevices may be easily added to these frames. Some embodiments maycomprise as little as two frames to create a closet module or up to asmany frames to build a whole system.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-6, a modular closet system 100 (sometimesreferred to as simply the “system 100”) is shown according to anexemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the system 100 may compriseone or more closet modules 101 and/or 102. In some embodiments, themodules 101 and 102 may be joined together by features of the system 100to provide more capacity and adaptable storage needs. In someembodiments, the closet modules 101 and 102 may be substantially woodenso that the assembled system 100 provides the impression of acustom-made wooden piece of furniture. While two closet modules (101 and102) are shown, it will be appreciated that aspects of the system 100allow the user to add more closet modules as needed to extend storagecapacity and provide various storage needs. However, in someembodiments, a closet module 101 or 102 may provide a standalone orfreestanding closet which, still provides modularity with storagedevices that can be added, removed, switched around and/or swapped outfor one another as needed while preserving a custom-made appearance.

Referring to FIG. 2, the system 100 is shown exploded to provideadditional detail on features that contribute to the modularity andcustom-made appearance of the system. In general, each closet module(101, 102, or any succeeding module described), may comprise a pair ofside frames 110. The sideframes 110 may be substantially wooden which,as will be appreciated, contribute to the finished custom-made woodenappearance of the final assembled product. While closet modules 101, 102(or any other as described later as shown) are shown with pairs ofsideframes 110, it will be appreciated that some embodiments may join athird sideframe 110 to the paired sideframes 110 as depicted. For sakeof illustration, embodiments daisy chaining sideframes 110 directlytogether are not shown but will be understood to be contemplated as partof the disclosure and scope of invention.

In general, assembling features of the closet system 100 may beperformed by aligning through holes of respective items together andconnecting them with fasteners 105 as shown throughout. The fasteners105 may be for example, screws, bolts, pins, dowels, etc. Someembodiments may include washers 107 (see FIG. 4) which may not bevisible in scale within the remaining figures. As will be appreciated,embodiments of the assembled systems hide the fasteners 105 from view byattaching items from the side so that the system gives off theappearance of being custom-made. The fasteners 105 may be removable andreusable to reconfigure the system 100 at will and yet will not bevisible thus providing a clean finish in any configuration. Inparticular, the fasteners 105 and any points of attachment are hiddenfrom the front view which a user would typically see when standing infront of the modular closet system 100. Hiding the points of attachmentfrom the front view gives the closet system 100 the appearance of acustom-made closet.

The sideframes 110 are generally positioned parallel to one another todefine an opening therebetween which may include an open face and anopen back. A sideframe 110 is generally a box frame with support struts.A sideframe 110 includes a pair of beams 111 positioned parallel to oneanother generally extending from a floor, upward and struts 120 may bepositioned between the beams 111 to provide structural support. Eachbeam 111 may include a plurality of through holes 125 on an insidesurface of the beam disposed for interfacing with side surfaces ofstorage devices (described below). The through holes 125 may be inseries (along a same line) running substantially from one end to theother end of the beam 111. In some embodiments, each sideframe 110includes a rail 115 on each beam 111. In an exemplary embodiment, therail 115 may be positioned on a side of the sideframe 110 so that itprojects away from an opposing sideframe 110 (for example, toward anexterior direction). The rail 115 may be perpendicular to the insidesurface on which the through holes 125 are positioned.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 5A, and 6, in some aspects, the rails 115define a slot that can be used as a guide for other elements. Forexample, in embodiments including a hanging rod 130, the hanging rod 130may include braces 135 on each rod end. The braces 135 may fit into therail 115 slots so that the hanging rod 130 becomes a bridge betweenadjacent closet modules 101 and 102. The braces 135 may include throughholes 137. The ends of the hanging rod 130 may include a through hole139 that aligns with a center through hole 137 on the brace 135. Thehanging rod 130 and braces 135 may be slid down the slots untilalignment with the desired level of through holes 125 on respectivesideframe 110 is reached. In some embodiments, the hanging rod 130and/or the braces 13 5 may comprised the same wooden finish as the restof the system 100 to contribute to the custom-made appearance of thecloset system. As can be appreciated, one may incorporate multiplehanging rods 130 as shown which provides hanging capacity as needed.Moreover, the hanging rods 130 provide structural support betweenadjacent closet modules 101 and 102 adding stability to the system 100.

When the closet module 101 or 102 is assembled, a plurality of storagedevices may be incorporated by lining up through holes 125 with throughholes 155 of respective storage devices. See for example, FIG. 4, wherethrough holes 155 of drawer box 150 are aligned with through holes 125of the sideframes 110 on both sides of the drawer. The storage devicesmay be wooden so that when fastened within their sideframe 110, theentire system 100 (or at least a substantial portion), appears to befrom the same wooden material as would a custom-made piece of furniture.As will be appreciated, the through holes 125 and the through holes 155are disposed so as to receive fasteners 105 from the inside and outsidesurfaces of the beams 111. As storage devices are attached, thefasteners 105 are hidden from view by the outer perimeter surfaces ofthe storage devices being flush with the inside surface of the beams111. In addition, the front faces of the storage devices may be flushwith a front surface of the beams 111 providing yet another suggestionof the system 100 being a custom-made piece of furniture.

In embodiments including drawers (in the embodiment shown, there may betwo differently sized drawers 151 and 160), the drawers are enclosed ina V-shaped box. The slides (not shown) for the drawers are on the insideof the V-shaped boxes 150, 165. The V-shaped boxes 150 and 165 may beremovable and reattached at various attachment points along the beams111. As suggested above, the outer perimeter of the boxes 150 and 165are flush with the inside surface of the beams 111 so when attached,fasteners 105 are blocked from view when viewing the closet system 100from the front view perspective. The drawers 151, 160 with the V-shapedenclosure can be moved in increments that fit the holes 125 on theframes (in roughly 1.5″ increments). The drawers 151, 160 may be removedand swapped between boxes 150, 165 of the same size enclosure.Accordingly, the drawer boxes 150, 165 may be fully customizable as towhere you want to place them on the sideframes 110.

Similarly, other storage devices such as shelves 140 may be positionedbetween the sideframes 110 based on relation to fastener 105 placementwithin the through holes 125. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates shelves140 aligned with through holes 125 and fixed into position by fasteners105 (and washers 107 as the case may be). However, it will be understoodthat while the embodiment depicted shows screws for fasteners 105, otherembodiments may use instead pins or dowels as the fasteners 105 whichmay fit within the through holes of the shelves 140, or on top of whichthe shelves 140 may rest.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, a modular closet system 200 is shownaccording to an alternate embodiment. As will be appreciated, the system200 demonstrates the adaptability of the embodiments disclosed. Thesystem 200 is similar to the system 100 except that closet module 101 isreplaced by closet module 201. Closet module 201 is similar to thecloset module 101 of FIGS. 1-6 except that the closet module 101 hasbeen re-arranged by means of the modularity of the sideframes and drawerbox features. As shown, closet module 201 swapped out the larger sizeddrawer 160 and drawer box 165 and in its stead, two of the smaller sizeddrawer boxes 150 and drawers 151 were inserted into and affixed to thesideframes 110.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate further modularity available by theembodiments. A modular closet system 300 is shown according to anexemplary embodiment which is similar to the embodiments of systems 100and 200, except that the closet modules are re-arranged to providealternate storage configurations. A closet module 301 is similar to thecloset module 101 except that the two smaller drawer boxes 150 of module101 have been swapped out and replaced by a second larger sized drawerbox 160 and drawer 165. In addition, closet module 102 has beenreconfigured as closet module 302 by swapping out lower shelves 140which are replaced by laundry baskets 170 (another storage type device).Dowel rods 180 may be aligned with the sideframe through holes 125 andfastened into place at the level desired to hang the laundry baskets170. Typically, a pair of dowel rods 180 may be used so both sides ofthe baskets 170 have something to hold on to. The laundry baskets 170may include hangers 190 which hold the baskets 170 onto the dowel rods180. In some embodiments, where two laundry baskets 170 are used (asshown), a central hanger 185 adjoins the laundry baskets 170 at a commoninterface so the laundry baskets 170 may become a singular unit forremoval. Support is reinforced at the junction of the two baskets 170 bythe central hanger 185. If the user desires, one laundry basket 170 maybe detached from the other basket and removed or replaced at will. Wheninstalled into the closet system, 300 the sides of the laundry baskets170 may be flush with the inside surfaces of the beams 111 maintainingthe custom-made appearance in this embodiment.

As will be appreciated, combinations of the aforementioned featurescooperate to create a modular structure which can be re-arranged to forma variety of storage configurations.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinaryskill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustratedembodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples andthat they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined bythe following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that theelements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, itmust be expressly understood that the invention includes othercombinations of fewer, more or different ones of the disclosed elements.

The words used in this specification to describe the invention and itsvarious embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of theircommonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in thisspecification the generic structure, material or acts of which theyrepresent a single species.

The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are,therefore, defined in this specification to not only include thecombination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense, itis therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or moreelements may be made for anyone of the elements in the claims below orthat a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in aclaim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expresslyunderstood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can insome cases be excised from the combination and that the claimedcombination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by aperson with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, areexpressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of theclaims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one withordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of thedefined elements.

The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specificallyillustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, whatcan be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essentialidea of the invention.

Terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “above,” “below” and thelike as used in this disclosure should be understood as referring to anarbitrary frame of reference, rather than to the ordinary gravitationalframe of reference. Thus, a top surface, a bottom surface, a frontsurface, and a rear surface may extend upwardly, downwardly, diagonally,or horizontally in a gravitational frame of reference. Similarly, anitem disposed above another item may be located above or below the otheritem along a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction; and an itemdisposed below another item may be located below or above the other itemalong a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction.

A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect isessential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations.An aspect may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspectmay refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an“embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to thesubject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurationsof the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment mayapply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. An embodiment mayprovide one or more examples. A phrase such an embodiment may refer toone or more embodiments and vice versa. A phrase such as a“configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential tothe subject technology or that such configuration applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to aconfiguration may apply to all configurations, or one or moreconfigurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples. Aphrase such a configuration may refer to one or more configurations andvice versa.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example orillustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” isnot necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otheraspects or designs.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.” Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or thelike is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended tobe inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” isinterpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A modular closet system, comprising: a firstcloset module; a hanging rod coupled to the first closet module by afirst end of the hanging rod; a second closet module coupled to thefirst closet module by a second end of the hanging rod, wherein eitherthe first end of the hanging rod or the second end of the hanging rodare configured to slide flush against the first closet module or againstthe second closet module without horizontal displacement whenrepositioning the hanging rod along a height between the first closetmodule and the second closet module; and a plurality of storage devicesconfigured for modular attachment to attachment points within the firstcloset module and the second closet module, wherein the attachmentpoints of the plurality of storage devices to the first closet moduleand to the second closet module are not visible from a front perspectiveview of the modular closet system when in an assembled state.
 2. Themodular closet system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of storagedevices includes a first size drawer system and a second size drawersystem of a different size than the first size drawer system, whereinthe first size drawer system is removable and re-attachable along aheight of the first closet module and the second size drawer system isremovable and re-attachable along the height of the first closet module.3. The modular closet system of claim 2, wherein the first size drawersystem are attachable to a space in the first closet module previouslyoccupied by the second size drawer system.
 4. The modular closet systemof claim 3, wherein: the first size drawer system includes a firstU-shaped box for receiving a first size drawer, and the second sizedrawer system includes a second U-shaped box for receiving a second sizedrawer.
 5. The modular closet system of claim 4, wherein the firstU-shaped box and the second U-shaped box are repositionable along theheight of the first closet module.
 6. The modular closet system of claim1, wherein the first closet module and the second closet module aresubstantially wooden.
 7. The modular closet system of claim 6, wherein:the third sideframe includes a front face, the fourth sideframe includesa front face, and the plurality of storage devices include storagedevice front faces, wherein the storage device front faces are flushwith the third sideframe front face and are flush with the fourthsideframe front face, when the second closet module is in an assembledstate.
 8. A modular closet comprising: at least one closet module, eachof the at least one closet module including: a first beam and a secondbeam extending parallel to each other with a first plurality of strutsdisposed between the first beam and the second beam, each of the firstbeam and the second beam having respective first and second beam insidesurfaces, first and second beam outside surfaces, first and second beamfront surfaces and first and second beam rear surfaces, wherein thesecond beam front surface faces the first beam rear surface; a thirdbeam and a fourth beam extending parallel to each other with a secondplurality of struts disposed between the third beam and the fourth beam,each of the third beam and the fourth beam having respective third andfourth beam inside surfaces, third and fourth beam outside surfaces,third and fourth beam front surfaces and third and fourth bean rearsurfaces, wherein the fourth beam front surface faces the third beamrear surface; a plurality of through holes spaced along the first beam,the second beam, the third beam and the fourth beam, each of theplurality of through holes extending from the respective first, second,third and fourth beam inside surfaces to respective first, second, thirdand fourth beam outside surfaces; a first front rail extending from thefirst beam front surface, forming an L-shape with the first beam outsidesurface; a first rear rail extending from the second beam rear surface,forming an L-shape with the second beam outside surface; a second frontrail extending from the third beam front surface, forming an L-shapewith the third beam outside surface; a second rear rail extending fromthe fourth beam rear surface, forming an L-shape with the fourth beamoutside surface; and at least one closet storage element disposedbetween a first plane defined by the first and second beam insidesurfaces and a second plane defined by the third and fourth beam insidesurfaces.
 9. The modular closet of claim 8, wherein the plurality ofthrough holes are equally spaced along the first beam, the second beam,the third beam and the fourth beam.
 10. The modular closet of claim 8,wherein each of the first front rail, the second front rail, the firstrear rail and the second rear rail are flush with each respective first,second, third and fourth beam inside surfaces.
 11. The modular closet ofclaim 8, wherein the at least one closet storage element is selectedfrom a shelf, a drawer and a laundry basket.
 12. The modular closet ofclaim 8, wherein fasteners extend through selected ones of the pluralityof through holes to secure the at least one closet storage elementbetween the first and third beams and between the second and fourthbeams.
 13. The modular closet of claim 8, wherein a first slot is formedbetween facing surfaces of the first front rail and the first rear rail,and a second slot is formed between facing surfaces of the second frontrail and the second rear rail.
 14. The modular closet of claim 8,wherein the at least one closet module includes a first closet moduleand a second closet module.
 15. The modular closet of claim 14, whereina first slot is formed between facing surfaces of the first front railand the first rear rail of each of the first and second closet modules,and a second slot is formed between facing surfaces of the second frontrail and the second rear rail of each of the first and second closetmodules.
 16. The modular closet of claim 15, further comprising: ahanging rod bracket disposed in the first slot of the first closetmodule and in the second slot of the second closet module, the hangingrod bracket supported by fasteners extending through selected ones ofthe plurality of through holes; and a hanging rod supported by thehanging rod bracket.
 17. A modular closet comprising: at least twocloset modules, each of the at least two closet modules including: afirst beam and a second beam extending parallel to each other with afirst plurality of struts disposed between the first beam and the secondbeam, each of the first beam and the second beam having respective firstand second beam inside surfaces, first and second beam outside surfaces,first and second beam front surfaces and first and second beam rearsurfaces, wherein the second beam front surface faces the first beamrear surface; a third beam and a fourth beam extending parallel to eachother with a second plurality of struts disposed between the third beamand the fourth beam, each of the third beam and the fourth beam havingrespective third and fourth beam inside surfaces, third and fourth beamoutside surfaces, third and fourth beam front surfaces and third andfourth bean rear surfaces, wherein the fourth beam front surface facesthe third beam rear surface; a plurality of through holes equally spacedalong the first beam, the second beam, the third beam and the fourthbeam, each of the plurality of through holes extending from therespective first, second, third and fourth beam inside surfaces torespective first, second, third and fourth beam outside surfaces; afirst front rail extending from the first beam front surface, forming anL-shape with the first beam outside surface; a first rear rail extendingfrom the second beam rear surface, forming an L-shape with the secondbeam outside surface; a second front rail extending from the third beamfront surface, forming an L-shape with the third beam outside surface; asecond rear rail extending from the fourth beam rear surface, forming anL-shape with the fourth beam outside surface; and at least one closetstorage element disposed between a first plane defined by the first andsecond beam inside surfaces and a second plane defined by the third andfourth beam inside surfaces, wherein each of the first front rail, thesecond front rail, the first rear rail and the second rear rail areflush with each respective first, second, third and fourth beam insidesurfaces.
 18. The modular closet of claim 17, wherein a first slot isformed between facing surfaces of the first front rail and the firstrear rail of each of the at least two closet modules, and a second slotis formed between facing surfaces of the second front rail and thesecond rear rail of the at least two closet modules.
 19. The modularcloset of claim 18, further comprising: a hanging rod bracket disposedin the first slot of the first closet module and in the second slot ofthe second closet module, the hanging rod bracket supported by fastenersextending through selected ones of the plurality of through holes; and ahanging rod supported by the hanging rod bracket.
 20. The modular closetof claim 17, wherein fasteners extend through selected ones of theplurality of through holes to secure the at least one closet storageelement between the first and third beams and between the second andfourth beams.